Five Seven Five
by Calamity Heart
Summary: "You don't want to be like me. And more importantly, I don't want you to be like me, either." - A short tale, in which Hikage reads and reviews a very telling haiku that Bashō wrote, a window for Hikage to peer into and see one of Bashō's strongest desires.


_My cobra goddess…  
I long for you to show me  
The cold, still waters_

 _A lake of black ice  
Upon which you stand so tall  
And look so at peace_

 _When you look at me  
All I see is how I wish…  
I could look at you._

Hikage held the slip of paper loosely in her hand and stared silently at it for a very long several moments, long enough to have read the poem over several times. The silence in the Crimson Squad's mostly-empty hideout was disturbed only by the voices and music coming out of Mirai's television near the front of the cave, which neither Hikage nor Bashō felt like getting up to turn off.

Her head against Hikage's arm, Bashō's plum-colored eyes stared expectantly up at the quiet renegade, biting her lip when she noticed Hikage's eyebrows had risen. Finally, Hikage lowered the paper, then turned her head to look at Bashō.

"Cobra goddess?"

Bashō blinked and her cheeks flushed. She looked away in embarrassment as she stammered out a reply.

"A-Ahh… Yeah. I-I really wasn't thinking too hard when I wrote this for you. I just… put my pen on the paper and let the inspiration j-just… flow out of me in the moment, you know? I-I wasn't trying to flatter you or anything, but… that's genuine, what I wrote."

Hikage nodded softly. The two were alone in the hideout, and had been since last night. Homura and the others were out, either personally seeing to one of today's contracts or looking for supplies to restock their food stash. Hikage had been working without rest for an entire week, and Homura wasn't going to have any more of it.

" _Hikage! Your mission today is to take a break, alright? I know you're capable, but you're going to fall apart if you keep working yourself so hard. You may not show it, but I can tell some of that fatigue is getting to you, and the last thing I want is for you to collapse somewhere! So go relax!"_

" _Okay."_

That was Hikage's entire exchange with her leader, and she'd been laying naked on her bed mat ever since. On a whim, Hikage sent Bashō a text to let her know that she was taking a break today if she wanted to come and hang out. Bashō arrived in less than ten minutes, and was soon naked under the sheets of Hikage's bed mat as well.

A night of close sleeping later, Hikage awoke to a note on her belly, and Bashō's adorable eyes staring up at her, begging her to read it. To judge it. Hikage had always been Bashō's favorite critic.

"I like most of it," Hikage eventually decided, scratching her cheek. "There's no imagery in the last stanza, and the last two lines are weirdly disjointed even though they fit the scheme. But everything before that is good. Now… what is this about, exactly?"

Hikage's expression never changed as she offered her criticism, but at her last question, she looked right at Bashō, who was caught off-guard at first. Hikage usually went into a brief little ramble about what the poem might mean when she was shown one. It was one of Bashō's favorite things about sharing her poetry with Hikage. But she'd never _directly_ asked for the meaning of one of these poems.

Bashō opened her mouth to respond, then closed it, furrowing her brows as she peered into Hikage's golden stare. She knew what the poem meant. She wasn't asking about the poem. She was talking personally with Bashō now.

Realizing this, the plum-eyed first-year looked away and regathered her thoughts.

"I-I… Sometimes, I don't feel like I know what I'm doing here," Bashō started. "I don't feel like… I'm a strong enough shinobi. Sōji and Chitose… Ibuki and Ashiya, they're all so confident and gung-ho. They're real evil shinobi. And I feel like they're my anchors. Like, if they weren't there, and I was all alone, would I really have what it takes to 'dance for the honor of evil'? I'm so fragile… Can I really handle this life?"

Bashō looked back at Hikage and spoke up. "But… when I look at you, Hikage… I just see a totally perfect shinobi. Whatever the mission, however difficult it might be, you go in with a straight face and a cool, calm demeanor. You don't tire and you don't complain. You're so _strong_ , Hikage, and I want to be that strong. I want to be like you! I want to be able to stand up on my own, look at my obstacles fearle-"

"Alright… stop."

Bashō bit her tongue and furrowed her brows, blinking at Hikage. Her face didn't change, but Bashō wondered if she'd said something wrong. Should she have even brought this up with Hikage? Swallowing a lump in her throat, she opened her mouth again, but Hikage beat her to it.

"You don't want to be like me."

Another blink, and Bashō gave her naked idol a puzzled look. "H-Huh? What d-"

"And more importantly," Hikage interrupted, forcing Bashō to pause again. She leaned in a bit closer, staring harder at Bashō before she continued. "I don't want you to be like me, either."

Now Bashō couldn't find any words. She wasn't sure what to feel, hearing Hikage's words that clashed so heavily with her thoughts. She wasn't sure what to think. What was wrong with being perfect? Hikage was as close to that as Bashō thought was possible.

She went rigid as Hikage leaned in closer, but slowly relaxed when Hikage set her forehead gently against hers. "Trust me, Bashō, I'm not _really_ that great. It would suck if you turned into a dead-faced weirdo like me."

"No!"

Hikage almost flinched. She pulled away and her face shifted, eyebrows rising in something approaching surprise at Bashō's outburst. Bashō looked uncharacteristically angry at first, then apologetic. She looked away, then crossed her arms over her buxom chest, frowning.

"Don't… say that about yourself. Y-You're not a weirdo. I… don't care what others think or say. You're _not_ a weirdo."

There was more firmness and conviction in Bashō's soft voice that moment than Hikage had ever heard in all the time that they'd known each other, and Hikage wasn't sure what to say at first. After several moments of silence, Bashō slowly turned her eyes back to her golden-eyed bedmate, not sure what she was expecting to see.

It was more of the same, on the surface. Hikage's face was the same as it usually was. But Bashō could see past the mask, if only slightly. Enough to tell that there were many, many gears turning in Hikage's head now.

Finally, Hikage tilted her head and spoke. "Others?"

Bashō rubbed her arm. "I… got really angry at Ryōbi a few days ago. She was complaining about being told she and Ryōna weren't needed for some contract of theirs, because you'd already settled it. She called you… just what you called yourself just now. Dead-faced. A dead-faced freak. I wanted to hit her, but I didn't. I just… told her not to talk about you like that anymore, and she looked at me funny."

"Ha ha." Hikage laughed, and her lips turned slightly, but the mirth of the gesture never reached her eyes. She scratched at her face again. "Yeah. That sounds like Ryōbi. Don't be too mad at her. I've been called way worse, and she has a mean name for just about everyone. …Look at me."

Bashō gave Hikage her full attention, and the blank-faced girl continued.

"I get that you admire me. I'm not telling you to stop. I think it's really cute and I like it, and you." She paused to let Bashō blush before continuing. "But I can't teach you how to be like me. I've always been bad with emotions. It's not like being like this was some goal I achieved, and if you suddenly became like me… I don't think I'd like you anymore. I like _this_ you. You're sweet and creative, the opposite of me."

Hikage looked straight ahead, not staring at anything. "And you're not the only one who feels the way you do. Mirai was asking the rest of us the same kind of stuff you're asking me when we were still students at Hebijo. Hibari was feeling it, too. Even Murakumo, who could break me in half if she really felt like it, has some of those same self-esteem issues. I'm sure everyone has had these feelings at some point. But like you said, your first-year friends are your anchors, right? So what's the problem?"

"B-But… i-if they weren't there…-"

"Then that would be weird." Hikage cut Bashō off, and the plum-eyed first year raised her brows curiously. "No one should ever have to bear the burdens of being alone. Shinobi or not. But you have your friends, and they give you strength. Same for Mirai, Hibari, Murakumo, and… everyone. Even me. I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't sweat it. You're perfect the way you are. And you're not as fragile as you think. You stood up for me."

Hikage reached to cup Bashō's cheek and turn her head for them to look deeply into each other's eyes. Hikage was smiling. It was a very small turn of her lips, and there was only a tiny spark of warmth in her eyes that accompanied the smile, but there it was. The most emotion Hikage was perhaps capable of showing. "And that… makes me really happy."

Bashō gulped, letting her eyes slowly close and her lips slowly part at Hikage slowly leaned in again, and the two green-haired shinobi met in a long and gentle kiss. Bashō's face was quick to heat up once again. Though Hikage couldn't show much emotion, it didn't mean she couldn't be passionate despite it. It was more for Bashō's sake than her own, but Hikage was a very active kisser, and it showed in how quickly she took the initiative, her dexterous tongue dancing with Bashō's, her cool fingers moving smoothly through her hair, in contrast with Bashō's excitedly trembling fingers caressing Hikage's warm shoulders.

Before long, Hikage shifted under the mat sheet, rolling the two of them over so that the golden-eyed renegade was laying right on top of her first-year admirer. Bashō's arms circled around Hikage's back, feebly trying to hold her right where she was, but Hikage easily slipped free. She pulled her lips from Bashō's and crawled lower, trailing her tongue slowly down Bashō's neck, making her gasp and arch her back slightly in tingling excitement.

"H-Hikage…" Bashō moaned out as her lover's lips captured and tugged at one of her nipples, then the other, not lingering long before Hikage crawled lower, kissing down Bashō's flat tummy. Her destination was clear, and despite herself, Bashō bit her lip and took herself a gentle handful of Hikage's hair, just for something to hold onto as her skillful tongue dipped slowly below her waist to place a warm, eager kiss upon-

"Hikage! We're back! I hope you've had a good rest, because it's time to get back to work! Yomi and Mirai boxed up some leftovers from the restaurant. Mirai's got the boxes, but Yomi needs help wi- Oh. Uhh…"

Needless to say, the last thing that Homura expected to see coming into the cave was Hikage crouching low on her bed mat with her rear in the air and her face buried between an embarrassed Bashō's open thighs. They both froze at the sound of Homura's voice, and after a moment, Hikage lifted her head, putting her tongue back in her mouth before speaking.

"Oh, hey. Help with what?"

Homura blushed and quickly turned her back to the two of them, crossing her arms. "U-Uh, help with the barrels of bean sprouts and herbs she gathered up! We're recooking those leftovers for dinner tonight. J-Just, uh… hurry and finish up, alright?! I'll let Yomi know you're going to be a while."

With that, Homura quickly hurried her way out of the hideout again. When they were alone once again, Bashō whined and immediately hid her face in her hands, mortified. "A-Ahhhh…! Homura's never going to be able to look at me the same way again! That was so embarrassing!"

"Ha ha," Hikage snickered, tilting her head at Bashō with another small smile. "Don't worry about it. I've walked in on her and Asuka a couple times. She can't look at you _too_ funny."

Hikage sat up and stretched her arms. "Though, I can't say no to orders. So I've gotta get going. Thanks for spending the night with me. And never stop being Bashō, alright?" She leaned in for another small kiss on the first-year's forehead before turning toward where her clothes were thrown on the floor, beside Bashō's neatly-folded outfit.

Though disappointed, Bashō understood, smiling warmly and nodding with a smile. She felt much better after hearing Hikage's words, and picked up her poem, looking over it for a long moment.

"A-Alright… Alright, Hikage. I promise." Bashō looked up to smile at her cobra goddess, now fully dressed, as she gave Bashō one last wink before strolling toward the hideout entrance. Bashō smiled after her until she was gone, then stood to quickly go and dress herself as well.

 **Happy New Year! This is just a quick, rushed little something I thought I'd write up today and post to celebrate 2018. I love Bashō and Hikage, Bashō especially, and I'm thinking about doing other little one-shots and pairings with Bashō and maybe some of the other Senrans. Review if you enjoyed it, and let me know if you want to see more.**

 **Otherwise, hope you liked the one-shot. I'll be finishing up the next part of New Blood in the near future, so if you like that story, look forward to it!**


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